Big Brother returned last night, kicking off another season with new houseguests, new (and old) twists, and the same Julie Chen that we all love. Eight of the fourteen houseguests entered the house in part one of the premiere, the other seven getting their first taste of the BB house tonight. Among the usual introductions, we learned about what twists will shake up the house this summer, as well as seeing the early stages of an alliance form and crowning the first HOH of the season. With the houseguests already playing hard, it’s sure to be an interesting summer.
We got our first real look at some of the houseguests and how they will be playing the game in last night’s episode and so far a few of them have stood out. While Clay, the attractive college football player and animal rehabilitator, Austin, the wrestler who also goes by the name of Judas, and Meg, the slightly annoying and overentergetic blonde, seem interesting enough, it’s the other four houseguests who are already making moves. Right off the bat, going only on first impressions, three of the girls immediately formed an alliance. Led by Audrey, who came out to the public for the first time as the show’s first transgender contestant, these strong women seem determined to have a girl win this year.
This attempt at an all-girl alliance, something that has never been successful on the show, consists of Audrey, Da’Vonne, and Shelli, all of whom clicked right away. Alliances formed this early on don’t tend to stick together for long and that, combined with the fact that it is an all-girl alliance, doesn’t bode well for them. All three girls seem intelligent and are on board with the alliance right now, though, and it would be great to see it work. If they wanted to solidify a strong alliance, I’d suggest they add Clay into the mix. A big physical threat could take the attention off of the girls and help the alliance win some important competitions. And I’m sure Shelli wouldn’t complain if Clay joined them, as she already seems interested in starting up a showmance.
While these girls were forming an alliance, it was James who shocked everyone with his performance in the first HOH competition. He certainly doesn’t look like as big of a threat as the other three men, but he proved that you don’t need to be ripped to win competitions. There seems to be a belief that winning that first HOH isn’t always the best strategy, as it puts an immediate target on your back, but really, I don’t think it matters that much. Often times, it’s easy enough for the first HOH to make nominations without getting blood on their hands because no one has formed any real alliances or friendships yet. Not only that, but it also gives him the chance to talk to and get to know everyone, as they come to him with proposed alliances in an attempt to not be nominated. Even with the win, I don’t think the others will see James as a big threat and he should be sitting pretty for a while. That is, unless a twist comes in and changes that.
Of course, it wouldn’t be premiere night without learning about the twists of the season. This year, they’re bringing back Battle of the Block, claiming that it was a fan favorite. While I had no major issues with it last year, that’s only because it was something new and different, making houseguests rethink their strategy. However, I see no need to implement this twist again this season. We saw how it played out, and it was fine, but it should have been put to rest with the end of last season.
Along with Battle of the Block, there’s another twist which has been dubbed the “Big Brother Takeover.” It’s hard to say exactly how this will affect the game, but the essence is that each week someone will come into the house, changing the game in some way. Every week, then, there’s a new twist, keeping the houseguests on their toes and never giving them a chance to relax. I understand that Big Brother is trying to keep things suspenseful with this twist but to me, it seems like overkill. The fact that the houseguests, and we as an audience won’t know what is coming each week makes the game almost too unpredictable, completely changing how it’s played. Perhaps it will end up being better than it sounds, but right now, I’m wary.
The third and final twist is the one that sounds most appealing to me, and it happens to be the only one that almost none of the houseguests will know about. This season there will be a houseguest who is actually a twin. Throughout the first five weeks, these twins will swap in and out of the game, unbeknownst to everyone else. If they can make it through five weeks with no one realizing that they’re actually two different people, both twins will be allowed to enter the game as individuals. Out of all three twists, this will provide the most entertainment value for us as an audience, as we wait to see if these twins can pull it off.
With three twists already announced, one of which technically introduces a new twist every single week, this season of Big Brother is sure to keep us (and the houseguests) on our toes. Once again, how the game is played will be changed as they attempt to keep the show fresh in its seventeenth season. In the end, no matter how successful the twists are, I know that I’ll watch and enjoy every second of it. No matter what, I just can’t quit Big Brother.
[Photo credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS]
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